Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PLEASANT GROVE — A popular park for families in Pleasant Grove was vandalized with paint Sunday night and police are looking for the people responsible.
“This park is great. It is really, really fun,” said Bobby Swenson, a resident of Provo who stopped by with his wife and two young sons.
“They are having so much fun exploring around and there are so many nooks and crannies and it is fun for the parents — we have a hard time finding them,” he added.
But no one is having a hard time finding the paint splattered all over the playground.
“They didn’t miss much,” said Pleasant Grove Police Chief Mike Smith.
Smith calls the vandalism frustrating for everyone in the city.
"We had a resident call in that said they had had their kids playing and the kids came back out of the park and they were covered in the paint. The paint hadn't dried yet, so we suspect it was done early yesterday morning or at night” he said.
City crews are using power washers to clean up what they can. The vandalism comes at a time when the community is working to revitalize the park. Plans are in the works for improvements to be made next fall — an effort known as Rediscover Discovery Park.
Police suspect teens used squeezable bottles of paint — perhaps there was a paint fight — and believe someone else knows about unexplained paint on the vandal's clothing. Damage is likely in the thousands of dollars.
“Come in and talk to us and we will work with you, and let's get this cleaned up,” Smith added.
Discovery Park was built in 1996 through a community effort of donated materials, labor and expertise. It provides educational opportunities and attracts families from throughout the area.
